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Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, 11 May 1925, Page 10

1871, and William Hutchison, sitting in 1894 for the City of Dunedin, had represented Wellington as long ago as 1879.

In the class of 1881, contemporary with Sir Walter Buchanan, there were still in the House the Hon. T. Y. Duncan (Oamaru), Mr. E. Mitchelson (Eden and Marsden), Sir Maurice O’Rorke (Manukau) the Hon. John McKenzie, and Sir J. G. Wilson (Otaki and Foxton). Rolleston, a veteran dating from 1868, was again out for a temporary term, but he, too, returned in 1896. The Hon. W. J. M. Larnach also, who came from the provinces in 1875 and had several breaks of service, was out of Parliament at the time Mr. Massey was returned. Fie was returned for Tuapeka in July. Button, too, ranked as a provincial and had sat in the general assembly in 1876-8. He now came back for South Auckland.

The Parliament of 1884 was represented by Dr. A. K. Newman (Wellington Suburbs) and by John Stevens, who had come back for Rangitikei; Wi Pere and Tame Parata. , Dating back to 1887 were Mr. J. G. Ward (afterwards. Prime Minister), Mr. James Allen (now Sir James), John Joyce (Lyttelton), George Hutchison (Patea), Frank Lawry (Parnell), Thomas McKenzie (Clutha) and R. Thompson (Marsden). Surviving from the Parliament of 1890 was a little Labour coterie —the Hons. W. Earnshaw and D. Pinkerton from Dunedin, and E. M. Smith (New Plymouth). Others who came in then and were still in Parliament when the future Prime Minister took his seat were W. Hall-Jones (now Sir William), T. Lindsay Buick (Marlborough), W. C. F. Carncross (now Sir Walter) (Taieri), James W. Kelly (Invercargill), A. W. Hogg (Masterton), R. M. Houston (Bay of Islands), James Mackintosh (Walrau and Wdimea Sounds), W. W. Tanner lace), R. Meredith (Ashley), C. H. Mills (Wai(Heathcote) and F. McGuire (Egmont), . MR MASSEY’S POSITION The little group with which Mr. Massey naturally foregathered included these three, Sir Walter Buchanan, Sir James Allen and Mr. John Duthie. His first seat was on the back row to the left of the Speaker, right in the corner. Mr. Button was right in the corner, and Mr. Massey shared his bench. Next to them was Mr. Bell (now Sir Francis). Captain Russell was in the middle of the front row, across the floor from Mr. Seddon. Before the end of the session the new member for Waiternata was asked to act as Opposition whip, and he then took his seat in me front row with Mr. Fraser. It was a job not much coveted, for in a House of 70 members Captain Russell could claim only 14 or 15 followers. On the whole, tnere were generally about 20 votes to be counted against the Government in party divisions. Parliament met on June 22 and Sir Maurice O’Rorke was elected Speaker in place of Mr. Steward, who had acted in that position under the Ballance Government. The first party division of importance in which Mr. Massey participated, was on the appointment of the Sergeant-at-Arms. Colonel William Fraser, who had for many years represented Thames and Te Aroha, retired from Parliament at the dissolution. Mr. Seddon proposed, nevertheless, to re-appoint him Sergeant-at-arms, though ,he„>V3s, no longer in the House. Captain Russeli opposed the motion on the ground that it wa3 unconstitutional. The division resulted, of course, in favour of the Government. MR. MASSEY’S FIRST SPEECH. Mr. Massey's first utterance in the House seems to have been on July 3. It is rather significant, in view of his experience at Kaipara, that.his first speech was to ask the Government whether it intended to give facilities to gumdiggers to acquire their lands so as to make them permanent settlers. They were, he said, not improving the land they worked in any way, but were often leaving it, after taking out the gum, in a worse condition than before. The Government’s reply was that, by allowing the diggers to take up land of their own, they would prevent other people getting a share of the gum.

The following day,Mr. Massey asked the Government if it intended to provide for the extension of the Kaipara railway to Wellsford. “A full statement is coming down,” replied Mr. Seddon chidingly to the young member. “Until then I must ask the hon. member to remain, should I say, in expectation?” Remaining in expectation was to be the lot of Mr. Massey for many years to come, both as to the Wellsford railway and to matters of greater political moment, but in the end, as we know, both expectations were fulfilled.

The most important work of this session was of such national moment that party lines Were almost obliterated, On the evening of June 29—a week after the opening of Parliament—the Bank of New Zealand Share Guarantee Bill was brought down as a matter of urgency. Captain Russell,' Mr. Bell, Sir Robert Stout, Mr. Mitchelson and Mr. George McLean had been consulted by the Premier, and the measure was debated all through the night, becoming law 1 , with the Governor’s assent, before day broke. • Only nine members voted against it.

Other work during this session included the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, the Government Advances to Settlers’ Act, the Lands for Settlement Act, Shops Act and the Dairy Industry Act., It was a long and arduous session. For the first time it became evident that changes of Ministry would not be mere cnanges of personnel as they had been in the past, but a real transfer of power from one to the other of the political parties in the House. NEW POLITICAL LINES. When the Government went to the country at the end of 1896, this line of cleavage between the parties was clear and well defined. In the Parliament of 1893-6 the Opposition had behaved well, and this, with the feelings already mentioned, resulted in its coming back with a good accession of numbers. There was another alteration of boundaries before the election, which suited Mr. Massey, and enabled him to stand for his own district of Franklin with a good prospect of success. Mr. Seddon would probably have allowed him a walk-over for Waitemata, but his own district was so much more attractive that he decided to stand there. It was near his home for one thing, and for another he knew the settlers from one end to the other. Moreover, Monk was now qualified to stand again for Waitemata. Mr. Massey was opposed by his old antagonist, Major Harris. It was a warm contest, but he had a good majority: W. F. Massey 2184, B. Harris 1710; Majority, 474.

Mr. Massey thus became member for Franklin, which constituency he has represented continuously until his death.. At the general election in 1922, he retained his old seat by a majority of 2750 votes.

Amongst those who were elected in December, 1896, were Monk (Waiternata); John Bollard, who defeated Jackson Palmer for Eden; John Hutcheson, Stout and George Fisher (Wellington), C. Lewis, G. J. Smith and T. E. Taylor for Christchurch); Scobie Mackenzie, J. A. Millar and H. S. Fish for Dunedin. Among the defeated were Button (Auckland), Dr. Newman, Hon. T. W. Bishop, G. W. Russell. In Dunedin, the Labour duo, Earnshaw and Pinkerton, came below the successful candidates. WAS IT WORTFI WHILE? Mr. Massey’s first experience left him full of doubt as to the wisdom of carrying on with his parliamentary career. “I was inclined to chuck it after my first experience,” he said. “It was not what I expected, and I did not like leaving a young family alone for so long. Besides, I had fairly big responsibilities, and thore were very difficult times. Mr. Rolleston was in Parliament, and Charles Lewis, and I told them I had announced that I would not be a candidate again for the Waiternata seat, and that Monk, the former member, was going for it. I simply could not afford it financially, and I was doing no good for the family. Mr. Massey was prevailed upon to continue, to become one of the great figures of the Empire. RISING HOPES. The Opposition was now a solid body of 28 members, and the heart of the Party rose accordingly. Mr. Massey was Whip,, having been appointed in 1896. It seemed that at length there was some reasonable hope of getting back to power. The old Continuous Ministry had definitely disappeared. It was a

Entered Parliament April 17,1894 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

straight-out fight for supremacy, and the electorate understood it. Amongst the accessions to the Conservative ranks were: John Bollard (Eden) ; H. S. Fish (Dunedin) who died in 1897; William Herries (Bay of Plenty); George Hunter (Waipawa), still in Parliament; F. Y. Lethbridge (Rangitikei) ; M. J. Scobie Mackenzie, who was some years earlier (1884-90 member for Mount Ida; R. D. D. McLean (Napier) ; Richard Monk (Waitemata) ; Richard Moore (Kaiapoi), now M.L.C.; Rolleston; J. Cathcart Wason (Selwyn) ; J. W. Thomson (Clutha) ; E. G. Wright (Ashburton) ; and Walter Symes (Egmont). Also, in general opposition, though not under the flag of the Conservatives, were Stout (who resigned in 1898 to become Chief Justice, and thus made way for John Duthie) ; and the critical Left Wing, which included A. R. Atkinson and John Hutcheson (Wellington), T. E. Taylor (Christchurch) and Pirani (Palmerston North). THE LAND QUESTION. The problem of land tenure came forward. The policy of the Ballance and Seddon Governments was strongly in favour of the leasehold; and on this issue many battles were fought, to which it is not now necessary to revert. In these discussions Mr. Massey was on familiar ground. A farmer himself, and the son of a farmer, he was a strong champion of the freehold. Some of his best speeches in his opposition days were made on this subject. He was a staunch advocate of the rights of farmers in every walk of life. “The settlers in this country,” he declared in the Address-in-Reply debate in 1899, “will not stand a system of landlordism. Whether the landlords are and boards, or even the Crown itself, they will not have it. They want the freehold, and they mean to have that form of tenure and no other.” Gradually the controversy gravitated

to the straight-out issue of leashold versus freehold, and eventually it fell to Mr. Massey himself as Prime Minister to legislate granting to Crown tenants the right of obtaining the freehold of their sections.

NEW ZEALAND AND ASUTRALIA. In Mr. Massey’s second Parliament the question of federating with Australia was occasionally prominent. It was Mr. Massey who suggested in June, 1900, that the Government should set up a parliamentary committee to inquire into the desirabiity or otherwise of joining the Commonwealth. Mr. Seddon doubted whether a parliamentary committee was the right method, but he promised to look into the matter. It was dealt with eventually by means of a royal commission, which decided that on the whole federation would be unwise. THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR. Just before the Parliament of 1896-9 expired, the war in South Africa broke out, and New Zealand sent one of her contingents oversea. When the Government went to the polls the struggle had not proceeded far enough, its early disasters had not sufficiently multiplied., to give Mr. Seddon the benefit of a khaki election. Captain Russell came back with only 15 followers. Rolleston, Moore, Scobie Mackenzie, George Hutchison, John Duthie, W. Buchanan, R. D. D. McLean, George Hunter and G. J. Smith fell in the fight. R. Heaton Rhodes (now Minister of Defence) came in by defeating V/. H. Montgomery. Mr. Massey’s own seat was secure. He defeated W. Finday Wilson by 2458 to 1278. Practically the whole of that Parliament was absorbed in the prosecution of the war in South Africa, into which New Zealand entered with a vigour and heartiness that at times appeared to rebuke the energy of the Home Government itself. Mr. Seddon’s masterful per-

sonality and fearless voice made themselves felt far beyond the borders of New Zealand. The Prime Minister himself broke all conventions by visiting South Africa in the closing stages of the war, on his way to the Imperial Conference in London.

In such circumstances no Opposition could make much headway. The Liberal regime was at its height. A succession of prosperous years launched with apparent conclusiveness the experimental legislation of the Ballance and Seddon administrations, and the Imperial outlook, ushered in s 0 happily by the bravery of our men who fought in South Africa and the prominent part taken by our Prime Minister in the Councils of the Empire, enhanced the popularity of the Government. Mr. Seddon had a triumph on returning from London in 1902, and when a few months later he again went to the polls the result was a foregone conclusion. The wonder is, in fact, that Captain Russell should have improved him position by the addition of five new members to his little following.

Once more Mr. Massey got comfortably home, defeating A. R. Harris by 2297 to 1121. The farmers had their first political triumph in the election of M. M. Kirlcbride, who defeated the veteran Liberal Speaker (Sir Maurice O’Rorke) for Manakau. This was really the khaki election of the Boer War, and it punished the Opposition, not for any lack of loyalty, but, as khaki elections do, purely because it was not the Government.

MR. MASSEY ELECTED LEADER. Though the corner w'ould seem to have been turned in the tide of fortune of the Opposition, there were still stormy times ahead. Captain Russell’s leadership was in many quarters felt to be too “kid-gloved” to counter the robust, masterful style of Mr. Seddon. He was not in good health, and his leadership was

not vigorous enough to command the allegiance of the many able men who came in at each election to criticise the Government at every turn, and to oust it if they possibly could. When the new Parliament met on June 29, 1903, Captain Russell was no longer leader of His Majesty’s Opposition. It was without a leader. There was a good deal of discontent and some friction within the party, and throughout 1903 it carried on haphazard, its fortunes managed by the Whips. The omens already pointed to Mr. Massey for the succession, but the prominent part taken in debate by Sir James Allen, and particularly his effective financial criticism, gave him a distinct claim to be considered. Mr. Massey and Mr. Allen were excellent friends, and neither of them coveted the post. The fortunes of the party were very low. There was a triumphant and very popular Government in office, and there was a rift within the Opposition lute. When Parliament met Mr. Massey sat in the leader’s seat beside Captain Russell because it was close to his own, but he made no effort to exercise the functions of leader. He merely carried on his old duties as Whip. Towards the end of the session the Party had to decide on a leader. The decision was taken early in September, when the choice of the Party fell upon Mr. Massey. Not only did he possess a long experience of Parliament (nine years) and an excellent knowledge of its rules and procedure, but in many years of duty as Whip he had shown those qualities of leadership and personal camaraderie which are essential for success in the political world. CONGRATULATIONS AND PARTY DISCIPLINE.

When Parliament met on September 11, Mr. Seddon congratulated Mr. Massey on his election, and assured him that he had the confidence of the House, as he had of the Op-

Became Prime Minister July 10, 1912

position. Mr. Massey, he said, was well fitted for the position, and the appointment would be justified by the good conduct of the business of the House. “The honourable member,” added Mr. Seddon, "starts his leadership under the most favourable auspices.”

ANOTHER LANDSLIDE

One of the first acts of the Opposition under the new leadership was to dissociate itself in the public mind from the names “Tory” and “Conservative.” This was decided on during the recess, and when the House met in 1904 Mr. Massey was leader of the “Reform Party.” The name did not catch on at once, but it gradually replaced the old ones. Captain Russell was still in his old seat, with Mr. Massey beside him. The Whips were C. Lewis and F. Y. Lethbridge. The next general elections were dominated by an incident in which the Opposition officially had no part—the appearance before the country of the “Young Liberals.” The cumulative effect of the charges made by this Party was a great accession of personal popularity and sympathy for Mr. Seddon. There was a veritable landslide in his favour. The country plainly disapproved of the personal attack on the Prime Minister, and it expressed its disapproval by voting solidly for the Government. All but 18 members of the new House were pledged to support Mr. Seddon, who was more firmly seated in office than ever. MR. SEDDON’S DEATH.

But, as everyone knows, Mr. Seddon was not to meet his new Parliament. He visited Australia before the session and was returning when he died at sea on the evening of June 10, just after the Oswestry Grange had passed outside Sydney Heads.

Sir Joseph Ward was absent in England, and Mr. Hall-Jones became Premier in the interim, and took office as Prime Minister on August 6, 1905. REFORM GOMES INTO POWER. Mr. Massey’s own chance to administer the affairs of the country did not come for another six years. At the two succeeding elections (1908 and 1911) the Opposition . steadily improved its position, and the supporters of the freehold principle in the House grew in strength. When Sir Joseph Ward went again to the country at the end of 1911 he came back with a very doubtful mandate. Faithful to the conventions in such a contingency, he immediately summoned Parliament. Mr. Massey at once moved an amendment to the Address-in-reply. On the division the voting was equal—39 for, 39 against, and the Speaker (Sir A. Guinness) gave his vote constitutionally in favour of the continuance of the existing state of affairs. Sir Joseph Ward then moved the adjournment, in order to allow the Government to consider its position. A motion to adjourn to March 14 was defeated by 40 to 38. A new Ministry was formed under Sir Thomas Mackenzie, and it took office on March 28. Parliament met normally at the end of June, when Mr. Massey took the first opportunity of moving a no-confidence motion. This was carried on July sby 41 votes to 33. Mr. Massey was sent for, and on July 10 his first Ministry was sworn in, consisting of himself as Prime Minister, Sir James Allen, Sir William Herries, Sir William Fraser, Mr. A. L. Herdman, Sir F. H. D. Bell, Sir Heaton Rhodes, Sir Maui Pomare and Mr. F. M. B. Fisher. Of these Sir William Fraser and Sir William Herries are dead. Sir James Allen is High Commissioner (since 1920). Mr. Herdman was appointed to the Supreme Court Bench in 1918. Mr. Fisher was defeated in 1914, and went to England. In 1915 a National Government was formed, the Liberals co-operating heartily with the Reform through the dark and difficult days of the war. In 1919 this association terminated, and Reform again gained victory at the. general election in December. Mr. Massey them formed a new Cabinet, which with slight changes has continued in office. Shortly after taking office Mr. Massey was faced by one of the gravest labour crises in the history of New Zealand, the strike of 1913, in which strong measures were necessary to prevent the business of the country being brought to a standstill.

MR MASSEY’S PARLIAMENTARY RECORD. On April 17, 1925 Mi\ Massey completed 31 years of continuous Parliamentary service. There are only two members of the present Parliament, both now in the Legislative Council, whose service commenced earlier than his (Sir James Carroll and Sir Thomas Mackenzie, 1887). Each of them, however, has had broken service through defeats and resignation. Mr. Massey was the “Father of the House” in the sense that he entered it before any other present member, and remained there without_ intermission since. As regards the length of his term of office as Prime Minister, Mr. Massey had still some months to go before he passed the term established by his great predecessor. Mr. Seddon was Prime Minister from May 1, 1893, to his death on June 10, 1906, a period of 13 years 1 months and 9 days. Mr. Massey, coming into power on June 10, 1912, completed 12 years of office on July 10, 1924. A LOVER OF LITERATURE. The name “Farmer Bill” which was so ofter applied to Mr. Massey in the early days of his Prime Ministership, accurately indicates his early upbringing and his life’s occupation until the country claimed his services. But it scarcely connotes his literary attainments, of which he got the seeds from his old schoolmaster, Mr. Brandon. Mr. Massey had been throughout life a voracious reader, and an intelligent student of literature. As a young man there was no particular line of reading to which he devoted himself systematically. By natural inclination he was a constant reader of Shakespeare, Dickens and Scott. They were were stocked in the old house in Limavady, and during the long winter evenings he acquired a great taste for them. He read much biography and history, too, and in his early days fiction.

The wideness of the Prime Minister’s reading and his memory for passages from good authors, both in prose and verse, had often been exhibited in the House in prompt quotations of quite long passages, an accomplishment that reminds one strikingly of the statesmen of Britain. There are not so many in New Zealand politics to-day as there used to be who can drop into the classics or into literature on occasion. Mr. Massey was one of the few in the House who could use with facility and confident references to standard authors and to the Bible. Not infrequently in serious speech he invoked Biblical allusions, and not always the best known, showing that he had a wellgrounded facility. He was, in fact, a deeply religious man. EVENTFUL DAYS. . Unquestionably New Zealand’s chroniclers will assign Mr. Massey an equal place in the annals of the political history of this thrice-favoured land, with his distinguished predecessors. Before the Reform Administration had been in office many months, its authority was challenged by the advocates of direct action, who sought to take the law into their own hands. Mr Massey and his colleagues refused to be intimidated. They stood firm for the constitution and handled the strike with such resolution that their prestige as members of a strong Government was established, and their hold on the Treasury benches strengthened. The year 1914, which brought the World War, gave Mr. Massey an opportunity to reveal his qualities of statesmanship. The manner in which he rose to the occasion is now history. In the face of War’s stress, party considerations were ignored. All sections of the community, save only a small but noisy minority, supported the Coalition Government. Thanks to the splendid lead given New Zealand by her public men, and the valour and sacrifice of her gallant sons, the Dominion covered itself with glory in the World War, and attained the dignity of full nationhood.

The resumption of the “hostilities of peace” brought pressing and perplexing problems. Post war conditions heralded the inevitable slump and financial depression. But Mr. Massey's stout heart never quailed, nor did his cheery optimism forsake him when the tempests surged and the skies were overcast. Looking back over'his long term of office, is it an exaggeration to say that the thirteen years of Mr. Massey’s Prime Ministership, during which he held the tiller of the Ship of State in a resolute and courageous grip, was the most eventful and difficult period in the history of the race?